Randomly Poeting

Last Thursday, I put on orange construction coveralls and, as part of a "word construction crew," read some of my work as part of Random Acts of Poetry, a project of Definitely Superior Art Gallery and Artist-Run Centre.

Now in its 12th year, Random Acts of Poetry takes small groups of poets, singer-songwriters, and other spoken-word artists into the community, bringing a moment of reflection and creativity.

See the list above? I'm not a poet, singer-songwriter, or spoken-word artist. I'm prose all the way, baby. I still agreed to participate, because I have a few short pieces of prose, although I find it difficult to keep them short. I figured I'd read one of those.

Which is what I found in that folder in Dropbox. Apparently, for a month in the summer of 2014, I borrowed writing prompts and came up with poems. I even named the folder "Poetry." Amazingly, I was proud of several of those pieces. It was fun to read them. A few may be worth saving, while others are definitely worth further "construction."

Plus the whole performance element of last week's event was fun. It was nice to be in random public places--an urban mall, a downtown coffee shop, the LU radio station--and share a creative moment with five fellow crew members and other folks who happened to be there.

I know events like Random Acts of Poetry require planning, coordination, and hard work, and I appreciate all that went into making this year's event possible. Thanks, Definitely Superior!

CRADLE OF THE DEEP

Marion Agnew is an editor and writer who lives and works in Shuniah, Ontario -- a little slice of paradise just outside Thunder Bay. Email her at agnewmarion [at] tbaytel [dot] net. On Instagram, she's @marionagnew